icon’s LandOiarks.
Sifln’s f antiraatfo.
P. D. GOLD, Editor.
WILSON, N.C., : : : Jannary 16, 1874.
All Coimniinications and Subocrmtion
must b« directed to Editor ZIoK’u Land
MARKS, Wilseo, N. C.
ED I TO 11 lA L.
CALL TO THE MINISTRY—QUALIFI
CATIONS.
There is an impres.sion on my mind
to make some observations on the
great subject of a call to preaoh, and
the conduct of preachers Being
hedgfd about with the fear of not ex
pressing the truth—I timidly ap
proach the subject;
A divine call to preach a revealed
religion is necessary, while such a call
is derided by those that preach what
i.s not revealed. In my youthful
days I, in common with some others,
lield such a Ministry in dread. It
was not at all in my thoughts to ever
he a preacher for I was not at all dis-
}K>sed to be with such people. When
the impression began to enter my
mind it was the most humbling thing
possible to my pride in every sense
oonoeivable. I abhoi red the idea of
being a preacher: how could I meet
my old companions ? how could I
give up my pet desires to be a law
yer? I was ashamed to think of
falling 80 low and felt degraded.—
After that when a deeper view of my
own vilenoss was opened to me, with a
view of the holiness of the God of
heaven, and the holy calling to
'^ppMir.tho glorious gospel of Christ,
uivre was a strong conviction of my
unfitness. But a woe was on me;
outward circumstances and affliction
even unto threatened death began to
shut me in, and an inward impression
to preach, embarra.s.sed by a conscious
ness of unworthiness and a fear that
it was not a true call of God, attended
me and involvel me in such imcer-
ainty and doubt that I knew not what
to do.—This perplexity has often
humbled and weakened me since. If
it is a call to preach why not plain
er ? if it is not a call to preach why
should it trouble me so ? Have not I
forced these feelings on myself? No! I
must say, once it was utterly foreign
to my feelings—abhorrent to them to
preach. Then again the trial would
come in this way : If you had never
met with trouble produced by your
own misconduct would you ever have
tlionght of preaching? The call if
one has come so strangely, the cor
ruption of my nature seeming too so
much to cross it, that the very ina-
ability to determine whether I was
called ha? weakened and humbled
me. Well what is my call to preach?
Answer—It is an abiding desire to
preach Jesus in his divine beauties as
the way of salvation. What is the
hindranbe?—an inward sense of un
fitness c»«pled with the fear I am not
galled of God. What text ever com
forted me ? This one amimg others:
“Lo 1 I am with you alway even unto
the end,” was oooe applied to me with
force and sweetaess. What is my re
ward ? peace of conscience and mind
in endeavoring to preach Jesus, and
joy in seeing any evidences of the di
vine approbation. What would
cause me to willingly labor in this
sweet work unto the end ? The Spir
itual evidence that I am called of God
to this'labor of feeding the flock, and
that the labor is accepted in Jesus
who is so perfectly suited to lost
sinners that my desire is to preach
him to them.
To understand and follow the in
struction of Paul to Timothy on this
subject would be profitable. Let us
comment thereon briefly.
1 Tim. 3: 1, 9. “This is a true say
ing, if a man desire the office of a
Bishop he desireth a good work.”—
That is if he has the Spiritual desire,
such as the Holy Ghost imparts and
which causes him to feed the flock of
God, not for filthy lucre but of a
ready mind, he desireth a good work.
Now what are the evidences of such
a Spiritual desire? “A Bishop then
must be blameless, the husband of
one wife, vigilant, sober, of good be
havior, given to hospitality, apt to
teach.”
That is he must himself set such an
example as the flock should follow. It
is vain for a man to condemn in oth
ers that which he allows in himself.
The preacher must wear a clean gar
ment himself. He must be such a
pattern of good works that he will be
enabled to declare the whole counsel
of God with boldness and authority.
To be without blame and iinrebuka-
ble is-^idispcnsible to
ing. Who can rebuke another with
authority that is himself guilty of
wrong? Men will despise one who
attempts it No shining gifts can
supply the lack of a blameless char-
actor.
“The husband of one wife.”—
No plurality of wives is authorized
in the word of God. Some Saints
mentioned in the Bible had more
tliau one but such is not approved in
that book. From the beginning it
was one wife. The preacher should
not teach more than one doctrine
either, but his preaching should be
the same, one doctrine—one bride-—
all the time. For to teach one thing
here or now, and a different one then
or there to please different people or
ages wo uld be as having more than
one wife. He should ever be watch
ful of the flock and its good, and take
heed to himself and the Ministry
which he has received in the Lord
that he fulfill it. There can be no
higher call than to feed the flock
which would justify him in leaving
that Ministry of the word to go to
any worldly business.
“Sober.”—How necessary that such
a servant should be sober. What if
his Lord comes and finds him drunk
en and surfeited with worldly cares ?
What a shame for him to be drunken
of liquor. He should be sober in all
things—not drunken with the dtsire
to make money, nor in any other ex
cess of corruption.
“Of good behavior.'*—Some preach
ers stem not to think of good man
nets or behavior, not much caring if
they give offence. A preacher should
be gentle, courteous and kind in his
hehuvior.
“Given to hospitality.”—Not only
should he be ready to entertain visit
ors to his own house or home if he
has one, but in the Church of God he
like a good steward should feed the
sheep by bringing out the treasures
of heavenly provisions for the poor
strangers who cannot feed on the
husks of worldly doctrines. Happy
is that Bishop who has many hungry
souls to feed, for his bread and water
shall be sure, the bread of heaven
sent to such poor souls and the preacher
need not trouble himself to find some
new dainty dish for these iuingry
souls for they desire the same tilings
over and over again. Let him be
given to the hospitality of .entertain
ing these real guests for it is the
king’s table and at the king’s expense
where they can eat and drink abund
antly. This bread is Jesus cru
cified the staff of Jit'e.
“Apt to teach.”—One of the best
evidences that one is called of God to
preach is that he is apt to teach.—does
preach. God give.? this aptness, hence
where it is wanting we may know that
something is wrong. It is perhaps too
common with some to make excuses
in preaching. Do the best you can
and if you fail take the humiliation.
Excuses are not preaching. Again
there may be an improper boasting:
As if one should not study the word
XGoi!i,.aud..stsieJ;hat tbcj^yrd gives
him all he says, &c., when it is man
ifest to an instructed mind that the
boasting speaker is perverting, mis
quoting and misapplying the scrip ■
tures. To suppose that a preacher
cannot be wrong in any of his state
ments is to claim inspiration which
no humble man would do knowing
ly. Christ is revealed in and to a
gospel preacher and the plan of sal
vation is revealed to him, but he is
to study the word of God or the
written letter to get its teachings, ar
guments and proper connections in
order that his preaching in the letter
of it may be conformed to the Spirit
of truth. It is a shame for a preach
er to boast of his not reading the
Bible and that he cannot make mis
takes when at that very time he may
be doing so. We are to preach the
word. Preach Christ who is repre
sented truly in the word of God so
far as language can represent him,
and hence we are to study the Bible
to be in the spirit of its arguments
and language. Here he will find re
bukes for the offeading, admonition
to the heedless, exhortation to the
halting, warning to the wicked, en-
courageraent to the fainting, and rich
promises to the hungry.
“Not given to wine, no striker,
not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient,
not a brawler, not covetous.”
“Not given to wine.”—How often
the scriptures warn ua against wine
and dniakenness. When so many
are debasing'themselves with inamod-
' prate drinking is it not the duty «f
preachers and other chrietians to
an example of sobriety % It it
wrong to abst.Hn irom drinking? If
it had been a common thing in Paul’s
day for preachers to drink.ivino why
should Paul have said to Timothy,
“Take a little wine,” fec? It was
instructing Timothy as an infirm fee
ble mau to do wiiat was not then
common for well m>n to do. To be
temperate does not mean to use some
or even a little of every thing, but it
means a mwlerate use of ;;ood things,
or useful necessary things, as that we
should be temperate in eating. If a
man must use some of every thing to b«
temperate he must use some profane
language to lie temperate.—-
If one needs a little wine let him take it.
We are oppased to human organiza
tions to restrain men under vow.?
from doing that which they wish t-o
do. The principles of Christ will
regulate us if we love and follow
him.
“No striker.”—A preacher should
not be violent, disposwl to fighting
The fewer fighting preachers the bet
ter. The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal. The vile passions of hu
man nature are not to liave place in
the bosom of a publisher of peace.
“Not greedy of filthy lucre.”—This
is a controling lust of man. Paul
knew that grevious wolves would
come in not sparing the flock. Even
now it is common for men to ask a
living by preaching—not among true
Baptists however, but elsewhere and
everywhere else. Money is an incen-
'tive with them which aiTyroiieean sec.
Paul himself coveted no man’s gold or
silver or apparel, and sets before the
elders his example—Acts 20: 17, 36.
[To bo continued.]
DISCIPLINE.
There are two kinds of offences—
public and private, requiring some
what different dist'ipline. We shall
now notice public ones and their treat
ment. This word is used in church
relation to express the manner of reg
ulating the conduct of church mem
bers. Its rules are drawn from the
Bible, and its authority is the Spirit
of Christ in his people.
It .should save life, but cut off
dead branches or offences. Brethren'
should watch over each other for
good and not for evil, but faithful
ness becomes the house of God. If
one brother knows of improper con
duct in another brother he should
not smuggle or hide it, but endeavee-
in the proper spirit to correct it and
save the offending member. A busy^
body repeating frivilaus matters is
quite objectionable, but if one brothe?
knows of wrong conduct persist^ in
by another he shonld take the proper
steps to remove this.
Som® think thnt it mattera
how bad the public offence may
still if the offending party confess^
it he should be forgiven: If a broth
er should be overtaken in a publie
fault upon confession he should .be
forgiven, as if unintentionally h«
should do that which he abhora, al-